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The widening of Broadway’s — between Country Club Road and Euclid Avenue — is nearing completion and the time for bringing in the retail and attractions has arrived.

Preserving and reinventing some historic properties along that stretch has been a top priority for the city and the , whose district encompasses Broadway from downtown, east to Park Place mall.

Rio Nuevo acquired 39 properties, including the Solot Plaza, Friedman Block and Bungalow Block on the north side of Broadway.

75 feet from the road in 2019 to save them from being damaged during the Broadway’s widening.

The Bungalow Block is between Cherry and Warren avenues and is set to become a food hub with a cooking school and rotating chefs to showcase the city’s different cuisines that earned designation in 2015.

Now, further east on Broadway, Rio Nuevo has chosen developers for the two other properties.

Developer has been selected as the awardee for the Solot Plaza — 16 properties between Tucson Boulevard and Treat Avenue.

The was selected to develop the Friedman Block — 16 properties between Tucson Boulevard and Plumer Avenue.

“We’re incredibly excited to be selected by Rio Nuevo to try and make something happen on this block,� said Melissa Lal, president of Larsen-Baker. “Larsen Baker never got into downtown (regrettably), but the Sunshine Mile has that tangential energy of downtown with a lot of the creature comforts like parking and access that we love.�

The plan is to rebrand the plaza to “Sol Block� with partners Ambrell Capital and .

“Our vision for Sol Block is to meet the needs of the neighborhood with 27,000 square feet of small format retail and service uses … think hair salons, coffee/tea houses, brunch, fitness studios, dog groomers, bike shops, flower shops and jewelers,� Lal said. “All of those great local businesses that along with restaurants and bars are so important to the successful ecosystem of a vibrant trade area.�

She said much work will need to be done to create sufficient parking and protecting the historic facades while modernizing the building systems and interiors.

“We know many businesses that want to come back to the Sunshine Mile and expand into this area,� Lal said. “The road widening is beautiful, (and) Sunshine Mile is surrounded by some of Tucson’s most iconic neighborhoods — Sam Hughes, El Encanto, Mittman, Colonia Solana.�

Grant Krueger, owner of Union Hospitality Group, is also working with Repp + McLain on the Friedman Block renovation.

“We intend to make a significant investment in the real estate and create a mixed use shopping center worthy of the Sunshine Mile designation,� Krueger said, “with a respect and reverence for the mid century modern design of Bernard Friedman, but with an eye on the future.�

His team has developed Union Public House, Reforma Modern Mexican and Proof Artisanal Pizza & Pasta in St. Philip’s Plaza into a live music and food hub and plans a similar tenant mix and environment for Broadway.

“Potential tenants include two full-service restaurant/bars with live music managed by Union Hospitality, a coffee/bagel shop, a tea shop, two locally owned boutiques, an electric bike shop and a pair of fitness concepts,� Krueger said. “We are so excited for the opportunity to help re-develop this most important stretch of the Sunshine Mile.�

No timeline has been established, as the developers begin exploring the infrastructure needs of the properties and soliciting potential tenants.

“Rio Nuevo has never been busier,� said Fletcher McCusker, the board’s chairman. “We have helped launched over a dozen new restaurants downtown, all local and many minority- or woman-owned businesses.

“To have legacy operators like Larsen Baker and Grant Krueger help reactivate Broadway is more than we could ask for.�